External Storage

miniStack (All Versions): Drive Type Compatibility

LAST UPDATED: May 2018   CURRENT VERSIONS OWC MINISTACK – no known capacity limit at this time. LEGACY VERSIONS NEWERTECH MINISTACK (white plastic cover, also called "V1") – accepts PATA drives up to 750GB in size.  NEWERTECH miniStack V2 – acce...

Qx2 (All): Formatting Results in "Invalid Request" Error

This may be due to the drive format you're trying to use. The recommended format for OS X is Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Try the steps below to see if they resolve the issue.   1. Launch Disk Utility. 2. Highlight Qx2 drive icon. It should say some...

Qx2 (USB 3.0): Arrays, Rebuilds, and Formatting Options

This document addresses some common points of confusion. Please use see the user manual for more detailed information. http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/manuals/mercury_elite/OWCMANMEQX3_R3.pdf [http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/manuals/mercury_el...

Qx2 (All): Replacing a Failed RAID Drive

If one of the drives in your Qx2 has failed, OWC recommends you replace that drive with a new drive of identical make, model, capacity (and if possible) firmware. The process for doing this is covered in detail in your user manual.   USB 2.0 Version -...

Qx2 (All): Adding Drives to an Existing RAID

It is not possible to add more drives to an existing Qx2 RAID without reformatting the logical volume.   To add additional drives to a new RAID array, please consult the user guide for your Qx2 mode: USB 2.0 Version - http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_...

Envoy Express (Thunderbolt): SSD Compatibility Notes

RELEVANT PART NUMBER: OWCTB3ENVXP00 ISSUE WORK AROUND Some third party M.2 SSDs may not support external booting when in an Envoy Express (Thunderbolt) enclosure. Only one drive series has currently been identified as having the inability to boot...

Storage Solutions: OWC Disk Performance

As of Windows 10 v. 1809 the default disk removal policy is ‘Quick removal’ instead of ‘Better performance’. “Quick removal” is a safer option as it ensures connected disks can be removed directly from the Windows system. However, users may experience a ...

OWC Drive Enclosure LED Function with Select 3rd Party Drives

RELEVANT PART NUMBERS: OWCT4MS6000 "_miniStack STX_", OWCTB3ENVXP00 "_Envoy Express_", & OWCSACL1M "_Accelsior_ _1M2_" Select drives may disable the LED function of the relevant part numbers....

M1 vs. Intel Macs: External Storage Performance

In a post on The Rocket Yard Blog , Get Up to 67% Faster External Drive Performance With Your M1 Mac [https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/74383-faster-drive-performance-with-m1-mac/], we promised to keep looking into the Thunderbolt drive speed issues. We wan...

OWC Drive Enclosures: M.2 Drive Compatibility

RELEVANT PART NUMBERS: OWCENVPROC2N00, OWCT4MS6000, OWCT4MS6H02N00, OWCT4MS6H08N00, OWCT4MS6H14N00 The Crucial P5 M.2 drive series has been discovered to not be compatible with some of our drive enclosures: OWC ENVOY PRO EX: OWCENVPROC2N00 OWC MINISTACK...

Hard Drive: Expected and Unexpected Drive Noise

An external hard drive will make a range of sounds during regular use, which are perfectly normal and expected. There are also environmental elements which can impact sound perception:   * In an otherwise quiet room, HDD sounds can get exaggerated.   ...

OWC U2 Shuttle: Accessing Drives and Thermal Pad Warning

RELEVANT PART NUMBERS: OWCU2SHUTTLE, OWCU2SHUTTLE01, OWCU2SHUTTLE02, OWCU2SHUTTLE04, OWCU2SHUTTLE08, OWCU2SHUTTLE16, OWCU2SHUTTLE32 Usage over time may result in the thermal pad of the U2 Shuttle sticking to the drives. Users when opening the U.2 Shuttl...

Thunderbolt Daisy Chain

Daisy chaining over Thunderbolt has a six-device maximum per bus. Refer to the manufacture specifications of your host to determine the number of Thunderbolt buses and associated ports.  While Daisy chaining multiple Thunderbolt devices does allow for a...

Power Adapter Troubleshooting

A devices power adapter should be considered for troubleshooting if issues are being experienced. These issues can include, but not limited to, no power to the device or inconsistent recognition of the device by the host. * Troubleshooting expected po...